Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Everton and
Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park on Saturday Jan 21, 2012.

So this is what happens to Blackburn Rovers when Yakubu is absent. Steve Kean’s side were the better team. David Goodwillie’s equaliser secured a draw. Yet they passed around with diligence and created enough chances to have comfortably beaten their nervous hosts.

A sense pervaded that such wastefulness would eventually be punished. And as it usually is with those at the bottom of the league that cannot convert when they dominate, it proved to be true.

There was a hand-ball in the lead up to Tim Cahill’s opener by Marouane Fellaini. But Everton and their Australian marksman did not care. It was Cahill’s first goal for them in 13 months and a day. The relief on his face as he led a stream of double blows on the corner flag was palpable.

“I cannot blame the referee. It was hard because he wasn’t in a great position,” said Kean, before bemoaning his side’s luck in front of goal. “Sometimes you can try a bit too hard.”

Aside from Yakubu, who has scored 12 times in the league this season after signing from Everton last summer, Blackburn were also without their unsettled captain, Chris Samba, left-out by Kean. “If Chris is going to move, it won’t be in this window,” said the Rovers manager having turned down an offer from QPR this week. “It’s certainly not a case of getting teams to bid against each other to get the figure up either.”

David Moyes admitted that Everton were fortunate to register a point but was disappointed that Blackburn’s goal was allowed to stand, claiming offside and a foul on goalkeeper Tim Howard. “It was a poor day for us,” he said.

Everton could only find stimulus via fortune. This came when Landon Donovan dinked across the zone of uncertainty between goalkeeper and defence. Paul Robinson parried back out and Fellaini, mirroring a waiter carrying plates, as good as picked the ball up. Cahill reacted first. Robinson and Scott Dann complained immediately. But neither referee Mark Halsey nor his assistant spotted the infringement.

It seemed that Blackburn’s poverty would continue. David Dunn hit the post. More chances were passed on. Then just as blessed as Cahill was in scoring at the same end of the ground, he was luckless when he tried to clear Morten Gamst Pedersen’s free-kick, missed by Howard under pressure from Steven Nzonzi, only to see it rebound off Goodwillie’s stomach and in.

Shane Duffy hit the bar with a header. Mauro Formica cleared off the line, and Robinson clawed from Denis Stracqualursi. But Blackburn survived. “It was very encouraging,” said Kean. “The performance gives us a lot of confidence.”